Feeding and blending mechanism for grinding-mills.



l. MERRITT.

FEEDING AND BLENDING MECHANISM FOR GRINDING MILLS.'

Amlcmou man :uns l. 1912.

Patented June 1, 1910.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I. MERRITT. FEEDING AND BLENDING MECHANISM FOR GRINUING MILLS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE Il I9I2.

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, FEEDING AND BLENDING MECHANISM FOR GRINDING MILLS.

APPucATIoN HL'ED JUNE 1, 1912.

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Patented June 1, 1915.

1. MERRITT.

' FEEDING AND BLENDING MECHANISM FUR GRINDING MILLS.

y APPLLCATLON FILED JUNE L. 19|2' l 14:1 ,899., PatentedJune 1, 1915.

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J. MERRITT.

FEEDING AND BLENDING MECHANISM FOR GRINDING MILLS.

` APPLICATION FILED xuNE l. |912.

l LMLSQQ. PatentedJune 1, 1915.I

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

UNITED sTATvEs PATENT ornica.

JOSEPH MIERRITT, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT,'ASSIGNOR TO BEECH-NUT PACKING' COMPANY, OF CANAJOHARIE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

' FEDNG Ann BLENDING 'MECHANISM vFoa surname-MILLS..

specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented June 1, 1915.

I 'origiai'apleationmea-october 1e, 1909, serial N'. 523.095.' iai'viaea and thsap'piicatien mea June 1,

1912; seriamo 709,969;

-whenmixedtend to separate 'and' otherwise the subject of the said priorA application.

Figure l of the drawings is a side view, Fig. 2 an end view, and Fig. 3 a plan view To all whom it may concern Be it known lthat I, JOSEPH Mnnl'zirr, a citizen of the United States, residing at' Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements in Feeding and Blending Mechanism for Grinding-Mills, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improved mechanism for' stirring, conveying andmixing or blending various materials,- having special reference to those which are liable-t0 become caked and packed together; or whlch lessen the regularity or uniformity of the blend, due 'toV their 'different specific 'gravities or to other causesf-.' Provision' is made for'A feedingtlie' diifrent materials separately, so. that each maybe handled with special' reference toits-own peculiar chare e' grinding mill'to enable its connection and acteristics,`and so as to overcome, byv systems of feeding especiallyadapted to that material, 'any diiiicultiesv thatmight 'otherwise prevent its being fed uniformly and in Fig. S. Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are views showing details of the detachable and telescopproper proportion directly to the point of mixture with the other components.

An important feature of the invention is that the different materials, after being thus' fed` uniformly and positively, are mixed or blended at lany desired point of progress through the-grinding mill, which, as illus- `trated herein, is preferably just before the point wheref'the occurs, 'so as to in'- s'ure a more2 complete, lntlmate and 'uniform mixture, blend, or seasoning than would be possible njnany instances ifl the component parts were'brough't together earlier or later,

or elsewhere. I y i A further advantage of the improved arrangement-lis that the auxiliary feed mechanism isladapted to force thev material fed by it positively from' an auxiliary reservoir all the way into the main throat or opening leading tothe grinding devices, avoiding all pockets or obstructions in or inV f rontgof which s'ome materials, as salt for example, might become packed so as to partially or wholly obstructA4 itsl-flow.`

`Other improved-featuresof the present invention reside infmeans for breaking up material which is likely to become caked toi gether, such as salt, for example.

The invention alsoin'clud'es details ofconstruction and arrangement whereby the parts of the machine may be conveniently assembled, disassembled and adjusted, which" permits the operation of each without interfering with the function or mode of' operation of another, and whereby the various parts are protected from injurlous corrosion,

'especially where'it would tend to rust to-'E' in 'reduced scale, of a machine embodying the presentunvention, showlng 1n connection vtherewith enough of an associated coperation therewith to be understood. Fig. 4 is a plan view in enlarged scalepartly in section taken on the 'line 4 4 of ing coupling employed for connecting thev auxiliary feed screw shown in FigfS, F igld 5 being an isometric view, while Figs. 6 and 7 are end views 1n section taken inthe "plane indicated by the line- 6-7 of"Fig`. J8.

Fig. 8 is aside view, also in enlarged scale,

showing the stirring, conveying and sight ..85 in section taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 4,

feed mechanism f'or salt or other` condiments l or materials which are liable to pack or mat together, and which should be under obserzu 'vation. Fig.` '9 'is' a sectional view taken at 'right' angles to the view shown in f8, a portion being in section taken on the line '9-9 of Fig. 4, to show the interior construction. Fig. 10 is'a side elevation correspondgpv .ing with a portion of Fig. 1 shown lill-enlarged'scale with some ofthe casing'brl'en away to show the relation of theau 'feed screw to the main feed screw..".

The machine shown 'in the drawings 'isgloo mounted upon a base or frame 1, upon which the varlous parts are mounted, 1ncliid 11iga mctor Zand starting box 3' fordriv'n'gfthe various mechanisms. The principalgiinding. mechanism is mainly contained ina casing'li "fixed upon the base 1l.V The construction and arrangement of this part of the machine are or may be like thats'hown in my prior application above referred to.

This machine. is shown to be provided l with two independent feed mechanisms for the material to be ground, it being assumed in this instance that the principal masscan easily, be fed by gravity from an ordinary hopper 7 6 through the main throat 77 of the 111g a forced feed o f any desired kind. That,

shown inthe drawings comprises an auxillary feed screw 80 in a tube 79, which eX tends from l'the side of the Ythroat 77 up wardly atan angle and opening at its upper 4s1de`1n a throat or hopper 81, which receives its supply from thedischarge outlet" 82 of a reservoir 83, which is preferably detachably mounted upon a suitable colunm .84, supported by the base or'frame 1. In A this instance the discharge opening 82 of the reservoir is above the Vthroat or hopper 81, wlth a clear space between, thus enabling the amount and character of the material fed 136 from this source to beobs'erved, forming in effect a sightfeed. This auxiliary feeding device 1s herein shownto be provided with stlrrers and conveyers, suitable for use with material which is 'liable to cling or pack 40 together, as for example, salt, during a humld condition of the atmosphere. These stirring and feeding devicesare mounted in the upper end of the column 84. The initial driving shaft 85 is provided with a.` pulley. 46 86, which receives rotary motion in any con-l venient way, as by abelt 87'from the pulley `88. A worm. 89, carried' by the shaft .85,

drives the worm rgear 90 and itsv shaft 91.

TheY latter Yshaft has fixed upon it the several gears which impart rotary movement to the various stirrers and conveyers above referred to. 1

The floor or bottom 93 ofthe reservoir is provided with a U-sliaped'trough-94`extending across it, as'shown in Figs. 4 and 9 out or outf connecting with thedischarge let 82. A screw conveyer 9 5 is tted for-ro-l tationin'the said recess and preferably' egtcnds out through the-discharge outlet.- The e0 rearward end of the con'veyerY is journaled m a bushing 96 and providedwithfa collar 98.

This arrangement leavesthe conveyer free to be removed ,at anytime by pushing or pulling it Vout through the discharge outlet 82.

It may thus be readily -removed and re-Y 'blades are preferablv inclined forwardly, sov

' ervoir 83 and itsadjuncts to be readilyV re- 'm proper meshA with their respective driving placed at any time in case -it becomes clogged, or for anyother purpose.

The gear 97 of the conveyer meshes with the gear'- 101, which is ixed upon and driven by the -shaft 91 above described. These driv- 70 ing gears 97 and 101 are preferably housed or boxedin, as shown in Figi?. 4, 8 and 9, suitable projections of the reservoir' being covered by a' removable plate-102.

Inorder-to stir and break up any material that is liable to packtogether in the-.reserv oir, and bring it within reach of theconveyer, sweeper blades 103 are Vhereinshown' to-be provided. Y These blades are carried by a hub 104which may also be provided with' 80 an additional stirrer rod 105 of any desired form to reach all portions of the reservoir in which the material is liabletobecbi e packed. The hub 104, carrying the blades in the stirrerV is secured to the vertical sha it 85 106,-in any convenient way, as by a set screw 107. That shaft extends through and is journaled in a .suitable hub in the floor 96 of the reservoir, the lower end ofthe shaft being provided with a bevel gear 108 mesh- 90 ing with the bevel gear 109 on the driving' shaft 91. The under face Vof the hub 104 may, if desired, be provided with a gasket 110, making a close joint around the opening in the floor 93 for the shaft 106 to pre- 95 vent salt and similar material-from the resfervoir from getting into the bearings ofthat shaft. The lower edges of the sweeper blades'thusmovein a plane slightly above the reservoir floor and tangentially acrosslco the top of theI screw Iconveyer,'so that the material is beingconstantly moved fromand across the floor of the reservoir upon and into the conveyer. The tops of the sweeper 5 l0 that their turning movement tends to deflect the material downwardly finto. the trough 94 and into the' spiral vgrooves of the couveyenA Y Means are provided for enabling the res'- moved as a unitary structure from-its position on the-column '84 to examine or adjust the parts, or to`V empty v out the material. To this end the parts are madeto Vseparate 'substantially along the line 112, the removedv portion carryingwith` it the gears 97 and 108, taking 'them-'out of mesh with -their respectivegears 101 and 109,.l these 'gears coming readily into mesh with each other when the 'reservoir is replaced. Suitable dowels 113 .areprovided for properly reg-NV istering the reservoir inplac'e, with its gears.

gears.- La'tches 114, to prevent accidental displacement' Vof the reservoir are also pro-V vided, being preferably mounted by the f. pivot pins 115y upon opposite sides of the reservoir, their lower hooked ends engagingwith notches in the' dowel Ypins-,113, or wim ml any `convenient shouldersy on the base. Springs 117 serve to press the latches to their latching positions, while arms 118, extending outwardly relative to the pivots 115, serve as handles for lifting the reservoir, and also serve as convenient levers for disengaging the latches, it being only necessary to movethe arms 118 upwardly until the first portion of the movement unhooks the latches 114 and the continuing movement lifts the reservoir away from its seat.

r1`he axis of the auxiliary feed shaft 8O is herein shown to be upwardly inclined. Obviously, however, it may be horizontal, or at any desired angle. It is herein shown to be driven from the shaft 91 by means of the bevel gears 120 and. 121, which may be of any angle or proportion suited for vdriving the feed shaft 80 at the desired angle and rotative speed. In order to facilitate the assembling and disassembling of the parts for their constructionl or inspection, the connecting mechanism of the feed screw 80 is a telescoping coupling which enables the conveyer screw to be readily detached from its driving connection with its gear 121. The latter'is fixed upon a shell or spindle 122, journaled in 'the column 84, its

outer end being threaded or otherwise suitably recessed for receiving and holding the lquill 123, within which thedupper .end of the auxiliary conveyer or feed screw 1s fitted for sliding movement, as shown by comparing Figs. 8 and 5. This telescoping or sliding coupling alsoenables the feed screw 80 to be temporarily released and slid back and forth by an attendant, to clear any clogging tendency in the conduit 79. In Fig. 8, these telescoping parts are shown to he fixed in their extended or driving position, with the threaded portion of the conveyer 80 extending down approximately to or into the main throat' 77 of the hopper 76. The telescoping end of the screw 80 is provided with a-spline 124 which projects outwardly through and beyond the longitudinal slot 125 in the quill 123 and into the annular recess 126 in the clutch collar 127. Akey 128, seated in the quill 123 also projects outwardly into the said annular recess of the thrust collar 127, holding the collar longitudinally in place upon thevquill while permitting it to be rotated relative to the quill. A splineway 130 through the adjacent side of the collar enables the key 124 of thefeed screw 80 to be slid out of the clutch collar when the collar is rotated to the position vshown in Figs. 5 and 6, with the splineway `130 in register with the slot 125. The slot 130 also per-l 131, so located as to engage with the key.l

128A as shown in Fig. 6, when the keyway .125, and consequently the ,spline 124, are 1n register with the splineway 130. An additional pin 132 may also be provided on the other side of the key 128, as shown in Fig. 6, to prevent that key from being turned in the opposite direction into coincidence with the splineway 130. Thus the operator wishing to uncouple the parts may, upon turnin the thrust collar 127 by the sense of feeling alone, stop it in proper position for endwise disengagement of the key 124, through the splineway 130, either by pushing the feed screw endwise in the quill 123,

or byl unscrewing the latter from its shell or spindle 122, in which case the feed screw 80 and its appurtenances may be entirely removed. In the arrangement shown herein the hopper 81 is fastened to a projecting arm 135 of the column 84, by means of`a screw 136, which serves to support the parts shoulder at the vupper end of the reduced portion of the screw will, when the latter is unscrewed, rest uponthe pin. This, and

many other details of the machine are devised so as to avoid having detachable small parts which if separated from the machine or from the larger parts-thereof would be liable to become mislaid and lost.

In the operation of this machine, the materials to be ound are separately placed in the hopper 6 and the reservoir 83. The material from the hopper 7 6 :passes directly through the throat 77 into the grinding members or into a feed screw or conduit, leading to the grinding members, the ground material emerging from the mill through the delivery nozzle 140. Suitable means are provided for adjusting the grinding members, so that they will reduce the material to the desired degree of fneness..y Asecond needed by thestirrer 105. At the lower portion of the reservoir the material is further stirred and4 broken up .by the action of the sweeper blades 103, which also sweep or wipe the material along the ioor of the reservoir into .the conveyer trough or passage 94, rbringing it within the action of the screw conveyer 95, which moves the material along thetrough or passage 94 a.nd

through the passage outlet 82. The stirrer,

sweeper arms vand conveyer of the-reservoir 83 are intended to insure the advancement Y 80, by means of which it is carried into andl through the throat 77, and combined with the material from the hopper 76, the blend or mixture passing along the feed screw 7 to and between suitable grinding members, and thus out'l through the discharge nozzle 140 from which it is delivered into a vat or v into suitable receptacles.

It will be seenA that the material fed from the auxiliary hopper or reservoir 83 is positively stirred and swept into the channel 94 along which` it is positively moved by the conveyer screw 95 and delivered directly out of the unobstructed outlet 82, whence it A falls vertically and freely through the air without obstruction, and enabling a direct i ing with the screw instead of 'progressing' view to be had, as a sight feed, of the rapidity and uniformity of its flow. It falls directly upon the conveyer screw 80 and is positively forced by that screw through the tube 79 directly into the vertical throat 77, where it mixes with the main supply of material flowing from the hopper 7 6, both falling together upon the feed screw 7, which is or may be also a preliminary grinding and mixing implement. When thus delivered -to and mixed with a stream of other material, the salt, and similar materials, lose' their tendency to become packed together, and may usually be fed horizontally by an ordinary conveyer screw; without becoming packed together. But before being .thus

mixed, some materials, such as salt, will become packed in any pockets that may existv around .the screw, in some cases becoming packed inthe spiral groove itself, and turnlengthwise thereof unless an entirely free outlet is provided directly in front of and at theY end of the screw, throughwhich the material may escape freely without exerting any backward pressure upon the following'` body "of .the material' still 'in the v spiral groove off'the screw. "The material will usually escape still more freely and uniformly when the conveyer screw, in addition to deliveringthrough afullsize free .outlet 'at its end, is' also incl-ined downwardly in the direction of theY feed as shown -hereiin Y Y The construction, arrangement and mode of operation of this mechanism may bemodified in various .ways to suit different uses or conditions.A The parts may be modi- 6 5 ditional feeding devices of similar or equivfied as to relative position, and vother or adent may be added. AFor example, additional auxiliary feeding devices similar to that illustrated herein may be employed, delivering their respective materials into the throat 77 from different sides, or Wherever itv may be dealent construction and sired toeffect the desired mixing or blendv'` ing of the various materials.

This invention, which is herein illustrated as being applied Yto a grinding mill, is also applicable, within the'scope of the appended claims, to other machines or ap-V ing various materials.

I claimas my invention :-l

1. In mixing mechanism, the combination of a reservoir-having fa substantially horiparatus for mixing or blending and conveyzontal floor, a trough extending across a portion ofthe floor of the reservoir, with an outlet through the side thereof, a rotary conveyer disposed inthe said trough and'- feeding the material lalong the saidtrough land out of the said outlet, and a. sweeper Vmounted to swing over thesaid floor ina tangential relation to the saidconveyer.

2; Inmixing mechanism, the combination of a reservoir havlng a substantially horizontal Hoor, a trough extending across aA A portion of the iioor of the reservoir, with an outlet lthrough the side thereof, a' rotary conveyer disposed in the said. trough and feeding the material along the said trough and out of the said outlet, a sweeper mount- 'i ed to .swing over the `saidiloor'in a tangential relation to the said conveyer, and a rotary stil-rer above the sweeper, for loosening and .letting down the material upon the sweeper and conveyer.

3. In feeding mechanism, the combinationv of a reservoir having a substantially horizontal floor, a trough recessed across a portion of the said floor with an outlet through the side wall of the reservoir, a rotary conveyer disposed inthe said trough mainly below the general level of the floor, and extending through the said outlet, sweeper blades mounted to rotate on a vertical axis at one side of the said eonveyerand arranged to swing over the Said floor and conveyer Vin a vsubstantially'"tangential relation to the conveyer. j

4. In mixing mechanism, the combination of a reservoir having asubstantially horizontal floor, a rotary stirring device journaled in the 'floor of the reservoir and having .a gear below the floor, a rotary conveyer extending across the floor of the receptaclethroughv an outlet in the side thereof and having a gear on the outer side of thcrcceptacle, and driving gearing below the said reservoir meshing with the gears of the ,stirrer and conveyer, respectively.

.5 .In feeding mechanism, the combination of a substantially circular reservoir h aving a substantially horizontal oor, a

name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses this 31 day of 10 May, 1912.

JOSEPH MERErrfr.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM A. LORENZ, CHARLOTTE S. HULL. 

